(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to an electric terminal connector block that receives a plurality of electric terminals for the wiring of an electric motor and provides means for ensuring that the electric terminals are securely received in the connector block. In addition, the present invention provides tooling that is used with the connector block of the invention that moves each of the terminals of the motor wiring to a position relative to the connector block where the terminals are locked in the block. The tooling also provides a means of connecting the connector block and the attached electric terminals to a surge tester for testing the electrical wiring of the electric motor.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Electric motors that are manufactured for use in devices such as home appliances are manufactured in such a way that the purchaser of the manufactured electric motor, for example the appliance manufacturer, can easily assemble the electric motor and connect the wiring of the motor to the wiring of the appliance for proper operation of the appliance. To facilitate the appliance manufacturer's assembly of the electric motors into their appliances on the assembly line, electric motor manufacturers typically provide their motors to the appliance manufacturers with the wiring of the motor connected to a cluster block or connector block that can easily be connected with a receptor of the appliance to interconnect the wiring of the electric motor with the wiring of the appliance.
A prior art connector block is shown in FIGS. 1A through 1E. The connector block is typically constructed of an electrically insulating material, for example some type of plastic. The exterior configuration of the connector block 10 is designed so that the block can be easily connected to the electrical receptor of the appliance to which the electric motor is assembled. In the particular example of the prior art connector block 10 shown in FIGS. 1A through 1E, FIG. 1A shows the top surface 12 of the connector block, FIG. 1B shows one side surface 14 of the connector block with the opposite side surface being a mirror image, FIG. 1C shows the bottom surface 16 of the connector block, FIG. 1D shows the distal end surface 18 of the connector block and FIG. 1E shows the proximal end surface 20 of the connector block. The proximal end surface 20 of the connector block receives the plurality of electric terminals on the wiring of the electric motor, as will be explained.
A plurality of elongate channels, equal in number to the number of wires and electric terminals of the electric motor, extend through the interior of the connector block from the proximal end surface 20 to the distal end surface 18. In the example shown in the drawing figures there are three interior channels 22. The interior channels 22 extend through the connector block from channel openings 24 in the proximal end surface 20 of the connector block to conductor openings 26 in the opposite, distal end surface 18 of the connector block. Each of the channel openings receives an electric terminal and a portion of the motor wiring connected to the terminal. A set of circular tool openings 28 is provided through the connector block bottom surface 16. The tool openings 28 provide access to the connector block interior channels 22 and are used to determine the position of an electric terminal of the electric motor wiring in each interior channel 22 of the connector block, as will be explained. The tool openings 28 also receive electrical conductors through the openings when the connector block 10 is attached to the receptor of the appliance to which the motor is assembled to establish the electric connection between the wiring of the appliance and the wiring of the electric motor.
FIGS. 2A through 2C show a prior art electric terminal 32 connected to the end of a portion of a motor wire 34. The electric terminal 32 is typically stamped from a thin sheet of conductive metal and then is bent in the configuration shown in FIGS. 2A through 2C. A narrow stem 36 formed at one end of the terminal is bent around and crimped to an end of the motor wire 34 from which the wire insulation has been removed. At the end of the stem 36 the terminal is formed with a pair of side flanges 38 that are bent over each other with a generally flat base 40 of the terminal positioned between the flanges. A rectangular opening 42 is provided through the base of the terminal. A notch 44 is formed in each of the side flanges 38 separating a locking tab 46 from the remainder of the flange. Each of the locking tabs 46 are bent slightly outwardly away from each other.
In assembling each of the electric terminals 32 and its connected motor wire 34 into the connector block 10, the terminal 32 would typically be manually positioned adjacent the connector block proximal end surface 20. The electric terminal base 40 is positioned at the bottom of one of the connector block interior channels 22 as viewed in FIG. 1E with the terminal flanges 38 and locking tabs 46 projecting upwardly. Each of the terminals 32 would then be inserted manually through the connector block interior channel 22 toward the connector block distal end surface 28. A pair of opposed protrusions (not shown) are provided inside each connector block interior channel 22 adjacent the distal end surface 18 of the connector block. The terminals 32 would be inserted to the extent that the locking tabs 46 would pass over the protrusions and engage against opposite sides of the protrusions from the connector block proximal end surface 20, thereby locking the electric terminal 32 and its connected motor wire 34 in the connector block 10. With the electric terminal 32 locked in the connector block 10, the base opening 42 of the electric terminal is aligned with one of the tool openings 28 of the connector block. Each electric terminal 32 is also positioned adjacent one of the conductor openings 26 in the distal end surface of the connector block. To test the motor wiring, conductive posts of a surge tester would be inserted through the conductor openings 26 to establish electrical contact with the electric terminals. The motor windings would then be tested by the surge tester to ensure proper operation of the motor.
To ensure that each of the electric terminals 32 was properly positioned in one of the interior channels 22 of the connector block, a tool was used on the assembly line to determine the positions of the terminals in the connector block channels. The tool (not shown) typically comprised one or more pins that would be manually inserted into the tool openings 28 on the bottom surface 16 of the connector block to ensure that each terminal base opening 42 was aligned with its associated tool opening. The alignment of the terminal base opening 42 with the tool opening 28 was considered to be a sufficient check to ensure that the electric terminal 32 had been fully inserted into an interior channel 22 of the connector block so that the terminal locking tabs 46 were engaged with the interior channel protrusions. However, it has since been determined that the alignment of the electric terminal base opening 42 with the tool opening 28 of the connector block is not a reliable test of the proper positioning of the motor wiring electric terminals 32 in the connector block interior channels 22. With the prior art constructions of the connector block 20 and the electric terminals 32, it was possible that the tool pin could be inserted into the connector block tool opening 28 and through the base opening 42 of the electric terminal positioned in the connector block indicating that the electric terminal was properly positioned in the connector block interior channel, where the electric terminal lock tabs 46 were not properly positioned beyond the protrusions in the connector block interior channel 22. This would result in the motor connector block passing the test to determined that the electric terminals 32 were properly inserted into the connector block interior channels 22 when the terminals were not properly positioned in the channels. This would often result in one or more of the electric terminals 32 and their connected motor wires 34 becoming removed from their respective interior channels 22 of the connector block 20 when the electric motor is being assembled by the appliance manufacturer into an appliance and the motor connector block is being connected to the appliance electrical receptor. These electric motors with the improperly positioned electric terminals would be rejected at the appliance manufacturer's assembly line causing downtime of the appliance manufacturer's assembly line while a replacement motor was obtained.
What is needed to overcome these shortcomings of the prior art connector block and electric terminals is a novel construction of a connector block and novel tooling used with the connector block that ensures that each of the electric terminals of the motor are properly positioned in the connector block interior channels.